238:(the Greek word διάβολος literally meant slanderer or accuser) write down all the sins of men, in order to accuse them when their souls leave the world. Zephaniah sees myriads of terrible angels with leopard-like faces, tusks and fiery scourges, who cast the souls of ungodly men into their eternal punishment. The seer looks back and sees a sea of flame and the Accuser, with unkempt lioness's hair, bear's teeth, and serpent body, wishing to swallow him. Zephaniah prays the Lord and the great angel
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are introduced. At the second trumpet, the heavens are opened and
Zephaniah sees the sinful souls (which are given body and hair) tormented in a sea of flame until the day when the Lord will judge. He sees also a multitude of saints praying in intercession for those in these torments. The last
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It starts with a short fragmentary scene of a burial and with a vision of inhabitants of a town where there is no darkness, because it is the place for the righteous and the saints. Zephaniah then sees all the souls of those being punished and asks the Lord to have
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The
Akhmimic fragments ends with some scenes introduced by trumpets sounded by angels. Only three of these scenes have survived. At the first trumpet, victory over the Accuser is proclaimed, and
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135) and first published by U. Bouriant in 1885. These fragments, together with others later bought by the
Staatliche Museum of Berlin (inventory number P 1862), were published in 1899 by
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in 1899 showed that the
Anonymous Apocalypse is most probably part of the Apocalypse of Zephaniah, but there is not unanimous consensus among scholars. The two manuscripts are written in
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and by the angels of the Lord. Judgment is based only on the balance between good deeds and sins during the whole of life, indicating that the book was influenced by
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is lashed by five thousand angels. Later
Zephaniah sees thousands of thousands of beings with human features (with hair and teeth), but the text is interrupted.
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trumpet mentioned in the fragments prepares for the announcement that the Lord will rise up in his wrath to destroy the earth and the heavens.
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Apocalypse of
Zephaniah (First Century B.C.-First Century A.D.). A New Translation and Introduction
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Die
Apokalypse des Elias, eine unbekannte Apokalypse und Bruchstucke der Sophonias-Apokalypse
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In addition to these fragments, one could perhaps add a short quotation from the work of
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group. It was rediscovered and published at the end of the 19th century. The canonical
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context. It may therefore be Jewish in origin, but may perhaps have been reworked by a
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In the short
Sahidic fragment, a soul taken out of its body before repentance for its
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The narrative tells of
Zephaniah being taken to see the destiny of souls after death.
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The text contains no unequivocally
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Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale Copte 135, Berlin, Staatliche Museum P. 1862
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and very limited in extension. The original text was probably written in
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by the Lord. After death the soul is sought by the fallen angels of
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Because the Apocalypse of Zephaniah refers to the story of
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The Apocryphal Old Testament: edited by H.F.D. Sparks
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The Akhmimic text includes some fragmentary scenes:
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79:was known from ancient texts (for example the
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362:(Vol. 2). Here cited vol. 1 p. 499
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120:and of another text he called
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392:Theologische Literaturzeitung
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35:and so associated with the
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81:Stichometry of Nicephorus
387:Die Apokalypse des Elias
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122:The Anonymous Apocalypse
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112:Apocalypse of Zephaniah
77:Apocalypse of Zephaniah
25:Apocalypse of Sophonias
21:Apocalypse of Zephaniah
531:Apocalyptic literature
100:Bibliothèque Nationale
39:, but not regarded as
340:James H. Charlesworth
179:Clement of Alexandria
149:Clement of Alexandria
75:The existence of the
448:Heavenly Perspective
117:Apocalypse of Elijah
71:Manuscript Tradition
27:) is a 1st-century
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334:O. S. Wintermute,
63:imagery, and this
536:Book of Zephaniah
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384:E. Schürer
227:compassion.
218:lawlessness
185:tradition.
61:apocalyptic
515:Categories
354:(Vol. 1),
307:Pharisaism
232:Mount Seir
108:Steindorff
198:Christian
159:Zephaniah
114:, of the
55:has much
49:Christian
41:scripture
33:Zephaniah
342:(1985),
281:Theology
154:Stromata
134:Akhmimic
85:Akhmimic
57:mystical
311:2 Enoch
251:Abraham
240:Eremiel
236:Accuser
208:Content
183:Edomite
175:Susanna
138:Sahidic
126:Schürer
89:Sahidic
47:or any
478:(1983)
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419:(1984)
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267:Elijah
194:Jewish
130:Coptic
92:Coptic
490:Devil
338:, in
317:Notes
303:Satan
271:David
263:Enoch
259:Jacob
255:Isaac
244:Hades
202:Egypt
142:Greek
104:Copte
472:ISBN
451:ISBN
413:ISBN
356:ISBN
348:ISBN
285:The
269:and
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59:and
45:Jews
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19:The
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